Former North Miami Beach Director Faces $11M Bond

MIAMI - (CBS4) - A former North Miami Beach public services director faced a bond court judge Thursday after being charged with numerous counts of money laundering and grand theft.

That's because authorities allege Martin King moved about $2.3 million to a company owned by his wife over the course of 12 years instead of purchasing among other things hundreds on manholes, which remained uninstalled.

Now, he's being held on more than $11 million in bond.

Neither party asked for a change in the bond amount.

Instead, King has agreed to plea guilty and to pay more than $360,000 in restitution, CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald reported. He could face 12 years in state prison.

King was first hired in December of 1996 and was promoted to director of public services in August of 2008. The arrest affidavit states that questions about King surfaced as the assistant director began to look into purchase orders and discovered that they did not match the work that had been done.

The affidavit states King asked a third-party that had legitimate business with the city to send bills to his shell company he named Contractor's Administrative Services, Inc. (CASI), which was registered under his wife's Rita's name. His wife has not been charged. She told investigators Martin had told her it was a business for his consulting work and that he didn't want the City of North Miami Beach to question him about it.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle told the Herald that King spent the city's money on "leading a luxurious life."

Now, King will be spending years of his life behind bars.

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